Jaws of Steel!
 

When my Jake gets something he's not supposed to have in his mouth I am not able to get his jaw open to get it out. Between my kids and my husband there is always a stray napkin, tissue or pencil laying around that Jake gets a hold of. There is no way possible I have figured out to open his mouth to get the object out. I have resorted to getting a doggie treat to get Jake to drop the object and take the treat. This seems counter productive since I seem to be rewarding him to grab things he shouldn't have. Any suggestions?

Betty is the same way. There isn't a twig, leaf, branch, etc. that she won't try to eat. She knows she's not supposed to have it too, because she'll try to run away from me if I make a move toward her. What works for me is to pick her up...prop her under my arm a little, and grab her mouth. On each the side of her mouth are areas that I can more readily get my fingers into. I kind of push my thumb in on one side and my middle finger in on the other side. It seems to be the most accessible area for opening her mouth. Then, I reach in and grab what I can!

Gizmo eats anything and everything.. and i try to get it out and he viciously snaps at me... so I definately have to find a way to stop this...b/c the bigger his teeth are getting the more it hurts and I can't have him biting people

In puppy training we taught the "leave it - take it" exercise. It's so simple and they pick it up instantly. You hold a treat in your open hand down under their nose. Each time they try to snatch it, you close your hand and say "leave it" in a commanding tone. Then you open your hand again and say "take it" and let them have the treat. You do this several times over and like I say, they get it almost instantly. You can change it up by putting a treat on the floor and telling them "leave it" and then "take it." This tests their ability to leave it alone even if it's not in your hand. After they've got it down, you don't always have to have a treat to give them. But you can then just say "leave it" in a commanding tone and they know to leave alone whatever it is you don't want them to have.

After they've got the "leave it" command down, then you use a treat to get them to "drop it". The trainer said, "All that matters to them is getting a reward" so just use a reward if that's what it takes to get them to drop whatever they've got in their mouths.

We use this frequently when we toss a frizbee in the backyard, cause our Pookie won't just drop it automatically. So we have to say "drop it," then give her a treat. Now if we say "drop it" she will give it up right away regardless of whether we have a treat or not each time.

Excellent post!

I agree wholeheartedly. Joey has very strong "drop it" and "leave it" commands (I can put a piece of steak between his paws and tell him to "leave it" and he will). It makes life so much easier.

I understand why it seems counterproductive, lisak. You might be most comfortable teaching "leave it" first. However, a "drop it" command is good to have for when we are too slow with our "leave it" commands!